He doeth according to his
will in the army of heaven, and [among] the inhabitants of the earth: and none
can stay his hand,
“I form the light, and
create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things].” (Isaiah 45:7)
“[Thou art] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on
iniquity:…” (Habakkuk 1:13)
“Let no man say when he is
tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempteth he any man:” (James 1:13)
In above set of Scriptures, we find one of the supposedly
contradictory texts of the Scriptures.
On one hand, from the lips of the Lord Himself, He clearly states that “I create evil”. Then later in the Scriptures we find Habakkuk,
as he speaks concerning the Lord, says “[Thou
art] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:” then, to
add confusion to our subject, James states clearly that God “cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:”
In this series of lessons, we will be looking into two basic
questions, first, “What Is God’s Role In The Existence of Evil ?” and,
secondly, “What Is The Purpose Behind The Existence Of Evil ?”
THE
STUDY:
Before
we begin this portion of our study, let’s pick up with the summary from our
last study (Lesson #1)…
1. “Evil” describes something that
causes harm or injury
2. “Evil” can be referring to harm that is so
severe, that it causes total destruction or uselessness
3. “Evil” can, but not necessarily, involves
moral wickedness
4. “Evil” can describe sin or it can describe
the results of sin
5. “Evil” can describe the direct results of sin
6. “Evil” can describe the indirect results of
sin
7. “Evil” can describe an act that is morally
wicked
8. “Evil” can describe, not the act, but the
result of moral wickedness
So, in summary, “Evil” can describe an act, or the results of that
act, and, in every case that it is used in the Bible, it is describing
something that is harmful to man. In
other words… Evil is “the condition/act
of sin, OR the direct or indirect results of sin, that are harmful, and
potentially ruinous, to any part of God’s creation.”
We
will now attempt to come to an understanding about the Sovereignty Of God….
Before
we actually see the Bible teachings on the origin of evil, we need to lay a
foundation of a few other basic truths about our Lord…
Our Lord Is In
Control
One
of the many attributes that is exclusive to our Lord, is the attribute of
“absolute sovereignty”. To put it
simply, “absolutely sovereignty” means that our Lord is in total control of all
things. The Bible is very clear on
this subject. So clear, as a matter of
fact, I think it is important to simply let the Bible speak for itself as we
read these verses and are in awe at His greatness on display:
The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and
bringeth up. The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he
bringeth low, and lifteth up. (1 Samuel 2:6-7)
And Jehoshaphat stood in
the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the
new court, And said, O LORD God of
our fathers, [art] not thou God in
heaven? and rulest [not] thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in
thine hand [is there not] power and might, so that none is able to withstand
thee? (2 Chronicles 20:5-6)
For the kingdom [is] the
LORD'S: and he [is] the governor among
the nations. (Psalms 22:28)
A Psalm of David. The earth [is] the LORD'S, and the fulness
thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the
floods. (Psalms 24:1-2)
But our God [is] in the
heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased. (Psalms 115:3)
A man's heart deviseth his
way: but the LORD directeth his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
[There are] many devices
in a man's heart; nevertheless the
counsel of the LORD, that shall stand. (Proverbs 19:21)
The king's heart [is] in the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers of water:
he turneth it whithersoever he will. (Proverbs 21:1)
The LORD of hosts hath
sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought,
so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, [so] shall it stand: (Isaiah 14:24)
This [is] the purpose that is purposed upon
the whole earth: and this [is] the hand that is stretched out upon all the
nations. For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who
shall disannul [it]? and his hand [is] stretched out, and who shall turn it
back? (Isaiah 14:26-27)
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not
return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall
prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)
And at the end of the days
I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding
returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him
that liveth for ever, whose dominion
[is] an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom [is] from generation to
generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth [are]
reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven,
and [among] the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say
unto him, What doest thou? (Daniel 4:34-35)
But Jesus beheld [them],
and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)
In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own
will: (Ephesians 1:11)
Who being the brightness
of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by
himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:3)
From
this sampling of verses we can see that the Biblical teaching of God’s absolute
sovereignty is not an issue of the misinterpretation of a few select Bible
passages. The truth of His control over
all things is a subject clearly declared in many passages and is found in both
the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible.
Let’s
imagine a world where the Lord is not in control of all things. Let’s imagine that Satan is not under the
Lord’s control and, therefore, could thwart His workings among men. If that was the case….
1. When we pray to the Lord, we would have
absolutely no confidence He is able to answer us. He may have every intent to fulfill our
request but, Satan could always intervene and stop the Lord’s gracious workings
on our behalf. The principle is this…. If
God is not in control, there is no reason to believe He would, or could, answer
any of our prayers.
2. When face with trials and temptations, there
would be no reason to look to Him for help.
Again, He may intend on helping us, but Satan could always intervene and
stop the Lord’s actions. This, in effect,
would isolate us from the Lord’s presence and aid, and therefore leave us to
stand alone to face Satan…. If God is not in control, there is no reason to
rely upon Him in our times of need.
3. In the area of our lost loved ones, there
would be absolutely no need to pray for them or even share the gospel with
them. After all, if there is one thing
we would be certain of, it would be that Satan would stop the Lord’s workings
in the lost person’s sins hardened heart.
Out of everything the Lord would try to do, Satan would certainly put
the priority upon stopping a lost person from coming to Christ… If God is not
in control, there is no reason to look to Him to save our lost loved ones.
4.
Think of all the future promises our Lord has given us. Do we realize if He is not in control of all
things, He is not to be relied upon to keep His promises. Think about it. The wonderful promises of an
eternity with Him, rewards for faithfulness, an eternity separated from sin, the future resurrection and glorification of
our bodies etc etc etc . Even the
assurance of salvation can no longer be relied upon as certain, if Satan is
able to overcome the plans and intents of the Lord… If God is not in control,
there is no reason to have any assurance of future with Him.
But
praise the Lord, we know that no one, not even Satan, can do anything that the Lord does not allow. One example of that is…
“Now there was a day when the sons of God
came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto
Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going
to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD said unto
Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in
the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth
evil? Then Satan answered the
LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about
all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and
his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will
curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto
Satan, Behold, all that he hath [is] in thy power; only upon himself put not
forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.” (Job 1:6-12)
And
we have the assurance the Lord will have the ultimate victory over Satan, we
can know this based upon the truth of His sovereignty over all, and His ability
to perform the future prophecies found in the Word….
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left
hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil
and his angels:” (Matthew 25:41)
“And the devil that deceived them was cast
into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet
[are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10)
Based
upon the indisputable fact the Lord is sovereign, we must come to the
conclusion that the evil that takes place in the world around us is under His
sovereign control. No evil takes place
in this world that He does not allow….
the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own
will: (Ephesians 1:11)
THE PRACTICAL
APPLICATION:
What we have seen in our study so far….
We have attempted to come to a very basic understanding of the
term “evil” as used in the Bible. We
have come to see that:
1. “Evil” describes something that
causes harm or injury
2. “Evil” can be referring to harm that is so
severe, that it causes total destruction or uselessness
3. “Evil” can, but not necessarily, involves
moral wickedness
4. “Evil” can describe sin or it can describe
the results of sin
5. “Evil” can describe the direct results of sin
6. “Evil” can describe the indirect results of
sin
7. “Evil” can describe an act that is morally
wicked
8. “Evil” can describe, not the act, but the
result of moral wickedness
9. Evil
is “the condition/act of sin, OR the direct or indirect results of sin, that
are harmful, and potentially ruinous, to any part of God’s creation.”
10. Our Lord is in absolute control of all
things, this principle is clearly presented throughout the Bible
11.
It is because the Lord is in control of all things that we can place our
unwavering faith in His enabling, His responses to our prayers, His ability to
save, His prophecies of future events
12.
The Lord is in control of Satan himself, who can do nothing apart from the
Lord’s allowance
In our next study, we will examine the holiness of the Lord and
the source of evil in this world.
May the Lord bless you as you continue to seek His truth.
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may your soul’s salvation and your life’s faithfulness be “Settled in
Heaven.”
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